Modular flooring

ABSTRACT

A modular flooring includes a plurality of floorings and a plurality of floor connectors. Each of the floorings has at least two opposite sides respectively formed with a hidden engaged hole which is a recessed structure. When the floorings are laid adjacent to each other and the corresponding hidden engaged holes of each two of the floorings are aligned with each other, each of the floor connectors is respectively inserted into the corresponding hidden engaged holes, so that the floorings adjacent to each other can be combined mutually. As a result, the assembling convenience and the flexibility of the modular flooring are increased.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a modular flooring, and moreparticularly to a modular flooring provided with hidden engaged holesand floor connectors.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Presently, a traditional method for laying a wood flooring comprises thesteps of: providing a foundation on the ground; and mounting a pluralityof floorings having a square structure on the foundation in turn by anadhesive or a plurality of nails. However, the traditional method isinconvenient to lay the floorings, and costs more manpower and workingtime. Once one of the floorings is damaged, it needs to complicatedlydisassemble the floorings for repairing or replacing the damagedfloorings.

A modular flooring is easier and simpler structure for installation. Themodular flooring comprises a plurality of floorings. Each of thefloorings has two opposite sides respectively formed with a projectedrail and a groove. The projected rail can be inserted into and engagedwith the groove of another flooring. Thus, when laying the modularflooring, every two of the adjacent floorings can be combined with eachother by engaging the projected rail with the groove. If necessary, aplurality of nails can be used to position the floorings.

However, each of the foregoing floorings is only provided with theprojected rail and the groove on the two opposite sides thereof,respectively, so that the floorings only can be combined with each otheralong a common combinational direction limited by the projected rail andthe groove. As a result, the modular flooring only can generate asimpler combinational pattern. Furthermore, after the floorings arepositioned by the nails, the modular flooring can not be easilydisassembled. In other words, it is uneasy to disassemble the modularflooring when one of the floorings is damaged or there is a need forchanging the combinational pattern.

Furthermore, each of the floorings has at least one side provided withthe projected rail. Thus, after finishing the modular flooring, at leastone of the floorings has the projected rail projected on the at leastone side and adjacent to a building wall. In other words, the modularflooring can not fully cover all ground area to be laid. Moreover, themodular flooring also can not resist dropped water, objects, or insectsaccidentally intruding into a space between the floorings andaccumulating on the ground, resulting in a hygienic problem.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a modularflooring, wherein a portion or all of floorings thereof can be easilychanged when some of the floorings are damaged or there is a need forchanging a combinational pattern thereof.

To achieve the above object, the modular flooring of a preferredembodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of flooringsand a plurality of floor connectors, wherein each of the floorings hasat least two opposite sides respectively formed with a hidden engagedhole which is a recessed structure. When the floorings are laid adjacentto each other and the corresponding hidden engaged holes of each two ofthe floorings are aligned with each other, each of the floor connectorsis inserted into a respective said corresponding hidden engaged hole, sothat the floorings adjacent to each other can be combined with mutually.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The structure and the technical means adopted by the present inventionto achieve the above and other objects can be best understood byreferring to the following detailed description of the preferredembodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein

FIG. 1 is an assembled perspective view of a modular flooring accordingto a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is an assembled perspective view of a modular flooring accordingto a second preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is an assembled perspective view of a modular flooring with awaterproof rubber strip according to a third preferred embodiment of thepresent invention;

FIG. 3A is a perspective view of the waterproof rubber strip accordingto the third preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a top view of a first combinational pattern defined by themodular flooring according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a top view of a second combinational pattern defined by themodular flooring according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 6 is a top view of a third combinational pattern defined by themodular flooring according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 7 is a top view of a fourth combinational pattern defined by themodular flooring according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention;

FIG. 8 is a top view of a fifth combinational pattern defined by themodular flooring according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention; and

FIG. 9 is a top view of a sixth combinational pattern defined by themodular flooring according to a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring now to FIG. 1, a modular flooring according to a firstpreferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated. As shown,the modular flooring comprises a plurality of floorings 10 and aplurality of connectors 20.

Each of the floorings 10 has two opposite first sides 11, 12 which isrespectively formed with a hidden engaged hole 41, 42, i.e. a recessedstructure. Meanwhile, each of the hidden engaged holes 41, 42 isrespectively communicated with an opening 43 formed on two oppositesecond sides 13,14 adjacent to the opposite first sides 11, 12 of eachof the floorings 10. It should be noted that each of the hidden engagedholes 41, 42 can be further defined as a combination of an inner portion44 and an outer portion 45 at a cross-section of each of the floorings10, wherein the inner portion 44 is closed to a center portion of theflooring 10, while the outer portion 45 is closed to the opposite firstsides 11, 12 of the flooring 10. Furthermore, the inner portion 44 hasan inner diameter greater than that of the outer portion 45. Each of thefloor connectors 20 is shaped in a configuration complementary to thatof each said hidden engaged hole 41, 42.

For laying the floorings 10, each two of the floorings 10 are placedadjacent to each other, so that the corresponding hidden engaged holes41, 42 of the two adjacent floorings 10 are aligned with each other tocollectively define a channel structure. Meanwhile, each of the floorconnectors 20 is respectively inserted with an opening 43 into thechannel structure defined by the two corresponding hidden engaged holes41, 42, so as to combine the two adjacent floorings 10 mutually. As aresult, the plurality of the floorings 10 can be combined to form amodular flooring having a greater area.

Referring back to FIG. 1, in the first preferred embodiment of thepresent invention, the two hidden engaged holes 41, 42 formed on the twoopposite first sides 11, 12 of each of the floorings 10 are shaped inthe same configuration, while each of the floor connectors 20 are shapedin a configuration complementary to that of the channel structurecomposed of the hidden engaged holes 41, 42. Thus, each of the floorconnectors 20 can be smoothly inserted into the channel structuredefined by the two corresponding hidden engaged holes 41, 42, while theinner portion 44 with a greater inner diameter and the outer portion 45with a smaller inner diameter of the hidden engaged holes 41, 42 can beused to substantially enhance the engagement relationship between thefloor connectors 20 and the floorings 10.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a modular flooring according to a secondpreferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and similarto the first preferred embodiment previously discussed. As shown, eachof floorings 10 has two opposite sides formed with the hidden engagedholes 41, 42, which are shaped in different configurations. When eachtwo of the floorings 10 are placed adjacent to each other, thecorresponding hidden engaged holes 41, 42 of the two adjacent floorings10 are similarly aligned with each other to collectively define achannel structure. Meanwhile, each of the floor connectors 20 are shapedin a configuration complementary to that of the channel structurecomposed of the hidden engaged holes 41, 42. Thus, each of the floorconnectors 20 is smoothly inserted into the channel structure defined bythe two corresponding hidden engaged holes 41, 42, so as to tightlycombine the two adjacent floorings 10 with each other.

In the first and second preferred embodiments of the present invention,the floorings 10 can be selected from double-face veneered floors,double-face pressed laminate floors, strengthened floors, wooden floors,bamboo floors, and composite floors. Meanwhile, the recessed structureof the hidden engaged holes 41, 42 can be selected from a square recess,a rectangular recess, a circular recess, and a trapezoid recess.

Referring now to FIGS. 3 and 3A, a modular flooring according to a thirdpreferred embodiment of the present invention is illustrated and similarto the first and second preferred embodiments described above. As shown,the modular flooring further comprises a plurality of waterproof rubberstrips 30 which is preferably a T-shaped cross-sectional structure. Eachof the waterproof rubber strips 30 is respectively disposed between eachtwo of the adjacent floorings 10. As a result, the waterproof rubberstrips 30 can efficiently protect the floorings from being corroded bythe moisture, in order to elongate the life span of the floorings 10.

Referring now to FIGS. 4 to 9, in the first, second, and third preferredembodiments of the present invention, the floorings of the modularflooring can be fabricated into various modular units, such as stripunits, square units, rectangular units, triangular units, rhombus units,circular units, semicircular units, or quarter-circular units. When eachtwo of the floorings have the sides thereof contact fully or partially,the hidden engaged holes on the sides define a collective channelstructure as described above, so that the floor connector can be slidinto the channel structure for combining each two adjacent flooringsmutually. As a result, the present invention provides variouscombination manners of the modular flooring.

As described above, the present invention provides the followingadvantages:

1. The floorings are provided with the hidden engaged holes, so as tolower the material cost of the floorings, and to increase theconvenience and the flexibility of laying the modular flooring.

2. The floor connectors have a simpler structure to lower themanufacture cost and to simplify the manufacturing process thereof.Meanwhile, the floor connectors can be reusable. It is most importantthat the floor connectors and the hidden engaged holes provide a moreconvenient method for combining the adjacent floorings with each other.

3. The recessed structure of the hidden engaged holes includes the innerportion with a greater inner diameter and the outer portion with asmaller inner diameter, so that the hidden engaged holes and the floorconnectors can cause a tightly engaged combination of the adjacentfloorings.

4. The waterproof rubber strip can be used to protect the floorings frombeing corroded by the moisture, so as to elongate the life span of thefloorings.

5. When the floorings are selected from the double-face veneered floors,or double-face pressed laminate floors, each of the floorings have twosurfaces thereof applicable, so that the floorings can be overturned toreuse for saving the floor material and enhancing the economicalefficiency.

The present invention has been described with a preferred embodimentthereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications to thedescribed embodiment can be carried out without departing from the scopeand the spirit of the invention that is intended to be limited only bythe appended claims.

1. A modular flooring, comprising: a plurality of floorings; a pluralityof floor connectors; and at least two hidden engaged holes respectivelyformed on two opposite sides of each of the floorings, wherein each ofthe hidden engaged holes is a recessed structure; wherein when two ofthe floorings are placed adjacent to each other, the correspondinghidden engaged holes thereof are aligned with each other, and each ofthe floor connectors is respectively inserted into the correspondinghidden engaged holes, so that the floorings adjacent to each other arecombined mutually.
 2. The modular flooring of claim 1, wherein each ofthe hidden engaged holes can be further defined as a combination of aninner portion and an outer portion at a cross-section of each of thefloorings, wherein the inner portion is closed to a center portion ofthe flooring, while the outer portion is closed to the sides of theflooring, and the inner portion has an inner diameter greater than thatof the outer portion.
 3. The modular flooring of claim 1, wherein the atleast two hidden engaged holes formed on the two opposite sides of eachof the floorings are shaped in the same configuration.
 4. The modularflooring of claim 1, wherein the at least two hidden engaged holesformed on the two opposite sides of each of the floorings are shaped indifferent configurations.
 5. The modular flooring of claim 1, whereinthe floorings are double-face veneered floorings, double-face pressedlaminate floorings, strengthened floorings, wooden floorings, bamboofloorings, or composite floorings.
 6. The modular flooring of claim 1,wherein the recessed structure of the hidden engaged holes is a squarerecess, a rectangular recess, a circular recess, or a trapezoid recess.7. The modular flooring of claim 1, further comprising a plurality ofwaterproof rubber strips which is disposed between each two of theadjacent floorings, wherein each of the waterproof rubber strips is aT-shaped structure.